


Talking Is Scary (And Embarrassing)

by ElenCelebrindal



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal
Genre: Awkwardness, Barian Anatomy, Barian Physiology, Kari wants to protect Yuuma, Light-Hearted, M/M, Ryoga is called Nash while human, Sex Talk, because I like that, but not so much, but they're all so embarrassed, why did I write this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-08
Updated: 2019-04-08
Packaged: 2020-01-07 01:59:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18400847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElenCelebrindal/pseuds/ElenCelebrindal
Summary: Kari sits Yuma and Nash down to have a talk with them. Needless to say, Barian issues ensues and Nash finds himself explaining to his boyfriend's sister how those aliens work. While said boyfriend cuddles with him.





	Talking Is Scary (And Embarrassing)

**Author's Note:**

> So, yeah. I had kind of a dialogue written down about this (don't ask why, I'm weird), so I decided to make a fic out of it. I wanted to write something funny about Yuma and Nash (yeah, I really like the idea of him retaining his Barian name), and this was the perfect occasion to mix in some light-hearted content.  
> My Barian headcanon was actually influenced a lot by animals and bugs, and while scouting tumblr I randomly found another (long) headcanon about their physiology that was pretty similar. Better, rather. I don't always follow that headcanon in my fics, because is actually pretty difficult to write around it, but that's my general idea about them.  
> Also, Kari being in full "parent mode" and forgetting about it out of curiosity is my jam.  
> I didn't want to give this fic an higher rating, but I can change it if needed.  
> Enjoy!

The living room of his old house seemed smaller than Yuma remembered. Maybe because he left it five years before, still as a confused and broken teenager fleeing from the after-war.  
Sat on the couch beside him, Nash was fiddling with his necklace, the Baria Crystal shimmering under the bright lamps on the ceiling.  
That same morning, Kari had called Yuma and asked them both to come, without explaining the reason. Yuma was a hundred percent sure the reason revolved around the nigh she’d accidentally walked in on Nash pounding his dick in Yuma’s ass.  
Given the expression she was giving them, sitting cross armed on a chair, he was probably right.  
Nash had even tried to apologize for that, given they were in his old room, just under the dusty attic, but Yuma shrugged it off. They were adults, they had nothing to apologize about.  
Still, Yuma was nervous.  
«So… what do you want to talk about?», he asked, uncertain.

 

 

Kari glared at both of them, not angry but still a little bit shocked.  
She had quickly covered her eyes and apologize in a high pitched voice, embarrassed out of her mind, when she’d walked in on them having sex. But seeing her little brother like that, moaning Nash’s name as he…  
«Take a guess», she said sharply, snapping away from the memory.

 

 

Yuma put on his best doe-eyed expression: «You want to tell me how good of a brother I am and then we’ll be free to go?».

 

 

«Take another guess».

 

 

Yuma shifted uncomfortably on the couch, his insides stirring. If she knew Kari enough, what was coming wouldn’t be pleasant. Not even in the slightest bit.  
From the look he could see on Nash’s face from that angle, he was suspecting something too, and wanted to be at least six feet under.  
«There’s no need to talk about that».

 

 

«You’re my brother, Yuma!», Kari exclaimed, not even waiting to let him finish his sentence. «Of course we need to talk about that».  
Normally, it was parents who did that sort of things. Earlier. Before catching their son being…  
«You’re not getting away so easily».

 

 

Nash swore under his breath, his face flushed red. Yuma wasn’t in better conditions, his cheeks so heated up someone could melt marshmallow on them, he was sure.  
«You’ve got to be kidding me. We’re adults, Kari, come on!».  
It was even worse than the time Kari almost caught him jerking off when Astral was still there. Thankfully, back then, Yuma had managed to put on a pretty legit façade, but it would’ve been better if she found out. At least, the repercussions following her walking in on them would’ve been less atrocious.

 

 

Yeah, she didn’t need another reminder on the matter.  
«Specifically because of that we need to talk. I don’t want to come, one day, and discover you’ve gotten some kind of disease or something».

 

 

«Kari!».

 

 

«She’s being fair, Yuma», Nash intervened, placing a hand on his boyfriend’s shoulder. «Don’t be mad, she has every right to say that», he added, noticing Yuma’s frowning eyebrows.  
He was embarrassed as well, more than he’d even been, but they got themselves in that situation and they had to deal with it.  
After all, although they of course had their fair share of knowledge on the matter far before their coming out, no one has ever told them anything. They should have seen it coming from a mile afar.

 

 

Eyes widened, Yuma turned to look at Nash: «Come on, you _can’t_ be okay with this!».

 

 

«I’m not», he replied, straightforward as always. He was feeling so uncomfortable his skin crawled, for all he knew a colony of ants had taken place under it. «But if talking about it makes your sister feel better and more convinced about our relationship, then gather some courage and talk».  
Slowly, Nash grabbed Yuma’s hand and stroked it gently, drawing shapes on the back of it with his thumb: «We choose our own lives, but we can’t be this selfish», he added.

 

 

Kari threw a wide-eyed stare at Nash, surprised by his fairly diplomatic behavior. She always thought the man to be reckless and somewhat uncaring, that sudden wave of understanding was… unexpected.  
After a while, she cleared her throat and caught the attention of her brother: «Glad we understand each other», she said. «Now, back to the topic».  
Yuma whined, sinking even more in the cushions and trying to shield himself with a pillow, like a child, but Kari wasn’t having it. He was an adult, and he liked to remember her such a thing. It was time to face responsibilities.  
«You’re clean, right? I mean, both of you. I don’t want to inquire on Ryo-Nash only», he asked, catching herself mid name. it was still strange, calling Ryoga with his Barian name.  
More often than not, Ryoga would just shrug it off and tell her the name wasn’t that important, but Kari knew his identity wasn’t something to forget. Also, Ryoga was the name of his former self, the one who had died in a car accident.  
Kari wanted to respect him. But still, safety came first.

 

 

Not expecting that question so soon, Yuma lowered his gaze and nodded: «Yeah, we… we did some tests», he answered, stuttering a bit. «We’re both clean».  
Truth be told, it’s been the very first thing Yuma had asked the hospital staff as soon as he woke up in the (too) white bed of an antiseptic room.  
Because of Vector’s assault, Yuma was scared shitless of having contracted some sort of weird alien STD, and that fear was more intrusive than the memory of the rape itself. He’d also asked the staff to keep it personal and don’t tell his family, even if his young age made the whole deal difficult. Especially in the case of positive results, Yuma didn’t want to tell his sister and grandmother how that happened.  
Despite still being a teenager, confused and broken to the core, Yuma wanted to keep his family away from other pain.

 

 

Nash, on the other hand, waited for a year before deciding to take some tests, because who the hell knew what was going on with his alien DNA.  
His human form could be pretty fooling, but was his biology still intact, or something had changed? To be safe, Nash had ultimately asked Kite for help, knowing his medical staff would keep everything secret in case of some alien stuff coming up. Even if the two still had their misunderstandings and fights.  
Luckily, he was perfectly clean too and nothing alien appeared on the results.  
Kite had even asked if he wanted to do some tests in his Barian form, but Nash quickly dismissed them because Barian biology didn’t rely on anything but Chaos. Illness and similar were off the chart.  
So he shrugged: «Safety is an important issue, as you know. It’s only a good thing to do some tests, if you’re not sure about something».

 

 

Again, unexpected. Kari wanted to ask Yuma why his expression turned so grim all of a sudden, but refrained from doing so. There were things he didn’t want to share with her, no matter the context. With time, Kari had gotten accustomed to his brother’s silence. Forcing him to talk would’ve only made things worse, back then, and the present day wasn’t so different.  
«Do you use protection?», she asked instead, making Yuma’s cheeks flush bright pink again. At least, his embarrassed gaze was better than a gloomy one.

 

 

In response, Yuma snorted: «What? Afraid he might get me pregnant?», he snapped back.

 

 

Kari raised an eyebrow: «Yuma…».

 

 

«I’m trying to lighten thing up, you know», Yuma countered. «This is definitely not a conversation to have with your sister».

 

 

To avoid their bickering, Nash intervened: «We use condoms», he said, in a low but steady voice. For as much as sex without them was good, they tried to use condoms as much as they could. But not always. «Most of the times, at least», Nash, in fact, added. «You can’t blame us if we don’t, every once in a while». Yuma clearly wanted to smack him for saying that, but better honest than liars. And besides, Kari wasn’t a stupid teenager. She was an adult with her own experiences. Even Yuma knew that.

 

 

Nash has a point. So, instead of getting mad at something she knew it was impossible to control, Kari simply nodded: «I can understand your reasons», she conceded. And it was true. Better safe than sorry, but everyone took some risks. The whole world worked like that.  
But, she was worried nonetheless, and sighed: «It’s still dangerous, though. I mean, you’re clean, but what if…».

 

 

«Kari, we’re really careful», Nash interrupted her ramblings. «Don’t worry about it. We know the risks, and we know how to avoid them».

 

 

After that, the room went silent for a long time. Kari was still frowning, her understanding behavior tainted by fear for her little brother. Visible blush stained both Yuma and Nash’s cheeks, and they exchanged quick glances that didn’t escape Kari’s supervision.  
Kari was still worried about something, a little thing that nibbled at the back of her mind and didn’t leave her brain alone. She didn’t know how to tackle the issue, however, and was afraid to get too much in their space on top of that.  
After a while, the living room filled with uncomfortable looks and shifting, Kari made up her mind, took a deep breath and stared at Nash dead in the eyes.  
«What about your Barian form?».

 

 

Nash chocked on nothing: «My Barian… what?!».

 

 

Kari let out an irked snort: «Don’t play dumb on me. I should be absolutely blind and brainless to be so oblivious. I know you have something going on», she retorted, not buying it.  
Now that she asked, the woman wanted at least one clear answer. She wasn’t going to let her brother have sex with an alien without knowing how hazardous such a thing could be.

 

 

Smelling trouble, Yuma quickly tried to mediate: «It’s not dangerous, if you’re worried about that. Quite… quite the opposite, really», he added, his cheeks now burning a fiery shade of red.  
His blood flow really wasn’t having it, uh?  
Kari had even more reasons to be worried about that. She’d never seen Nash in his Barian form, after all, and Barian anatomy was obscure and bizarre, to say the least. But Yuma didn’t want to put Nash through that, it wasn’t fair.  
But, he couldn’t stop her sister from asking again.

 

 

«How does that…»

 

 

«Work?».  
Nash spoke before Yuma, raising a hand to his shoulder to settle his temper down. _I’m okay_ , he told him silently, a small nod with his head, and his boyfriend sank back in the cushions. He was holding his hand, though, squeezing it tightly.  
He brought his attention back to Kari, eyes as soft as possible even if the situation screamed “PANIC” all over his mind: «If you really want to know, I can try to explain Barian physiology to you. Well, if you can call it that way».

 

 

For as much as a detailed explanation was tempting, Kari forced herself to shook her head: «I… No, don’t. I shouldn’t have asked that», she said.  
And there it goes all her resolution. Seeing his brother so riled up made Kari change her mind. Maybe it wasn’t good, asking too many questions. Even if safety was in the way. The thought of Yuma at the mercy of a formerly murderous alien wasn’t all that comforting, but…  
«I’m curious, but… this is your life. I’m snooping around, at this point».

 

 

«No, you’re not», Nash shook his head. He could understand what was going on in her mind, hear the gears moving in her brain. She wanted her brother to be safe and sound, but his reactions made Kari step back a bit. It was comprehensible.  
«Listen – he spoke again, after a brief pause – it’s embarrassing. But, is the same feeling you get when you explain human anatomy and physiology to an alien or a child. Just because we’re not that many, that doesn’t mean this is private stuff only we can know».

 

 

«Are you sure…?», Yuma asked, his voice so quiet it almost got lost between potted plants and furniture. Gently, he stroked Nash’s hand with his own, and nuzzled his shoulder: «You don’t have to».

 

 

Nash sighed, closing his eyes for a second at how those little gestures warmed him up: «I’m sure. Besides, you explained how humans work to Astral, didn’t you? Was it so terrible?».  
When Yuma shook his head, Nash smiled: «Thought so. Children learn human anatomy and physiology in school. We’re just… a little bit more grown up».

 

 

«Just to know, did you do anything else with Astral, to explain that to him? No, don’t answer», Kari quickly added, seeing her brother opening her mouth to answer. «I don’t want to know».  
The last thing Kari needed was a confirmation about her suppositions. Being a hundred percent sure Yuma had, in fact, had sex with a glowing blue alien only he could see wasn’t on Kari’s bucket list.  
However, the Barians were far more interesting that she wanted to admit, so in the end Kari nodded: «Fine, if you’re okay with it… I’m interested».

 

 

Shifting to a more comfortable position, Nash let out a weak _oof_ when Yuma flopped down on his laps, his feet in the air as the couch was too small. He looked down at his sweet expression, telling him _it’s okay, I’m here_ , and combed a hand through unruly black and red hair.  
They’d rarely be that affectionate in public, let alone in front of other people, but Yuma wanted to tell him he could trust Kari. In his own way, obviously.  
Not knowing how to handle the explanation, Nash pondered his options. Then, he cleared his throat and looked up at Kari: «Okay. If you’re too weirded out of have questions, feel free to ask. I want you to understand as best as you can, so you’ll know there’s no dangers».  
He waited for her to nod before talking again: «Well, first thing first. Barians aren’t made of organic matter. In that form, we’re basically made of and as hard as stone on the outside. The “clothes” we wear aren’t clothes, but a kind of thinner, lighter material. Like a carapace of some sort. Think of it as an exoskeleton, only a little bit more complex and… well, relatively good looking. If it helps, try thinking about how insects and other animals grow carapaces on their bodies».  
He paused a bit there, noticing the look of confusion in Kari’s eyes. It was difficult to explain, and Nash didn’t have more comparisons to help her understand.

 

When Kari signaled him to go on, Nash glanced down at Yuma and then nodded: «If we get damaged, it takes a long time to reform our bodies. In most cases, we can just stock on Chaos energy and reform individual parts. However, we can chose to completely build ourselves a new body. This is a really long process, something that could take years, if not decades, and requires a huge amount of willpower». Thinking back at his own reformation, a process he’d done only once in his lifetime, Nash couldn’t help but shiver. It was a painful development, other than long and tedious, and he’s been aware the entire time.  
Snapping out of it thanks to Yuma’s hand stroking his cheek, Nash coughed his memories away and continued: «Think of a bird. The more colorful feather a bird has, the more it’s important and wanted. Now think of this same concept, but applied to a hard shell made of rock. For us Barians, the more your shell is perfect and the more appendages it has, the more important you are. Plumage and horns. That’s a simple analogy».  
He stopped there, not adding more details, just to avoid even more confusion. From his laps, Yuma sent him a content look.

 

 

«Wait», Kari interrupted him, before he could start speaking again. «For as much as I understood, by talking with Yuma, you’re the lord of the Barian Emperors. Their leader».  
Nash nodded in response to that, and Kari frowned: «How complex is your form, then?», she asked. She’d never seen him as a Barian, after all.  
Even more, she had no idea how the Barians looked like, not just Nash. Differently that Yuma’s friends and himself, Kari had never met a Barian before. Only listened to her brother talk about them.

 

 

Nash couldn’t help but smile at that kind of genuine curiosity: «I can show you. I can’t keep my Barian form for too long without Chaos energy around me, but I can easily morph and let you see with your own eyes».

 

 

«You’d really do that? Are you sure it’s not… I don’t know, inappropriate or something?».

 

 

«It’s not private, Kari. And yes, if it can help you be more unconcerned», Nash blew out a gentle laugh. On his laps, he saw Yuma smile at him, and jokingly pinched his nose.  
«Do you want me to go on or…?».  
Kari nodded and crossed her arms, clearly interested in what she was hearing. Nash hoped none of his words would end up in some kind of magazine or online article. That woman had an amazing nose for scoops.  
«Depending on how you see things, on the inside we’re much simpler than that», he spoke again, this time with a little bit more certainty. «You see, we lack every single internal organ a normal human, or even Astral being, would have. Our bodies, our shells to call them with a more accurate term, only hide Chaos vessels and our main Baria Crystal. Namely, our heart».

 

 

«You really are made of stone», Kari whispered, taken aback. She thought the Barians had at least something in their bodies. A brain, maybe a beating heart.

 

 

«We are living stones, yes», Nash replied. «Even our eyes are inorganic, made of something you could easily mistake for glass. Obviously, the Barian World doesn’t have the same kind of geology and such of the Human World, so I can only make comparisons», he chose to explain, just to throw that little bit of information in there.  
«Our lives, our entire beings, reside in the Baria Crystal we have in place of a heart. If you remove the shell, we’re only Chaos vessels attached to a glowing stone. Even our colors depend on what kind of mineral we’re born from, because the exoskeleton is created from that».

 

 

Despite Nash’s great job at giving details and put in plain words difficult concepts, Kari was far from being enlightened.  
It wasn’t easy, trying to imagine a living being that was actually a living thing. Chaos vessels in place of blood vessels, the entire conscience inside a crystal… it was so unbelievable yet true.  
Just to shake that uncomfortable feeling out of her head, Kari raised an eyebrow: «If that’s so, how to you feel?», she asked. «Do you even feel pain or…»

 

 

«Pleasure?», Nash concluded for her. «We do».

 

 

«How?».

 

 

«Our gems. Each Barian has a set of gems on their body, how small or big depends on how much time we’ve endured the reformation of our exoskeletons. Their colors depends on what kind of Chaos we absorbed, while in that process», he started clarifying, to give her some kind of base knowledge.  
Yuma raised a hand to his cheek to stroke it, had Nash put his own hand on Yuma’s to keep it there. They would do that so much, when Nash’s in his Barian form. His lack of mouth made kissing difficult, in any case.  
«Now, normally the gems on our bodies aren’t made to feel _pleasure_. We need them to feel in general, because we obviously don’t have senses other than sight, and our shells don’t have nerve endings. They also serves us to detect danger, or even defects or damage to our bodies. But – Nash stopped briefly, glancing down at Yuma once again and receiving a smile – we discovered we’re actually able to… well, feel pleasure, and pain, throught them».

 

 

«Are those gems Baria Crystals too?», Kari asked.

 

 

Nash nodded: «Kind of. They’re not like our hearts, though. They’re incredibly less powerful, and are actually the same kind of crystal you can find everywhere on our planet. To give you an example, Kite’s robot is powered by a shard of Baria Crystal. It’s a common substance, in the Barian World, to put it in plain words, and someone uses it on earth too», he answered.  
«Our hearts are pure Baria Crystals, constantly infused with concentrated Chaos energy and holding a living being. A soul, if you let me. That’s the difference between a normal crystal and my heart».  
He pauses a little to catch his voice and instinctively reached for his chest: «The central gems on our chest, well… that’s the real deal. You see, that particular gem, despite being made of the same exact crystal as the other ones, is always placed directly on our hearts.  
In short, if you touch or shatter any gems on our bodies, we feel it but it’s easy to endure any feelings that comes with it. If it’s shattered, we can easily reform it once the danger is gone. But, if you do the same on the main one, well… things can go uphill or downhill very quickly».

 

 

«Uphill or downhill?».  
Kari frowned, confused: «What does that mean?».

 

 

«If you shatter the gem, we die. Instantly», Nash replied, accidentally harsh. His hand clutched at his chest, where his own gem usually is, and Yuma gently took the time to untangle his fingers from the soft fabric of his sweater.  
The fact something like that nearly happened to him didn’t help his sudden uneasiness, but Nash kept going: «Every single Chaos vessel in our bodies is drained out in a matter of seconds and our exoskeleton simply dissolves in dust. Luckily, that gem is also extremely resilient, so it’s difficult to break it without knowing how to hit».

 

 

«And… what happens if you touch it?».

 

 

That question made Nash’s cheeks flush pink: «If you touch it, especially in a situation without danger… well, either our mind is enough in control, or it doesn’t take much to have an orgasm».

 

 

«You couldn’t have been more straightforward, uh?», Yuma snorted out, smacking him on the shoulder. As much as he could hit, from his position.  
Nash had the irritating habit to be way too direct, at times. Even if he didn’t like other people’s attention on himself.

 

 

Nash rolled his eyes, trying to ignore the burning sensation on his face: «It’s a fact, I can’t sugarcoat the pill what did you want me to say, then? You know what happened the first time you…».

 

 

«It really takes that little?», Kari intervened, before Nash could tell something she wasn’t supposed to know. She was curious, now that she heard that, but there was a limit to everything.

 

 

Mentally thanking Kari for saving him from his lack of attention, Nash nodded: «We’re a race made for defense. You can think we’re murderous aliens with a thirst for blood, but we can be easily overwhelmed. Even if we’re made out of Chaos, every essence of our beings is about protection.  
We create stone-hard exoskeletons and carapaces to cover our soul, and our world is surrounded by an ocean made of acid».  
The man shifted on the couch, earning a disappointed whine from Yuma, and shrugged: «Our world and our bodies are defense mechanisms against the Astral beings. Just like water corrodes stone, Astrals decay Barians. I don’t know why, and at this point I don’t think it’s possible to understand why we work like that, but this is how things are.  
That means, if our defenses are completely down and we fell protected, it doesn’t take a lot of effort to make us melt».

 

 

«That’s… something», Kari commented, astounded. «So you don’t have, like…».

 

 

Nash caught the allusion and shook his head: «No. We don’t have any kind of genitals. Human, animal, alien… nothing. If you want to look at the implications, we don’t even have a mouth. We don’t need it, we don’t reproduce like that. Barians are reborn from the dead, we’re not technically alive», he explained. It wasn’t that embarrassing of a topic, but with Kari’s eyes fixated on him…  
«I honestly don’t know how Yuma’s okay with it».

 

 

In response, Yuma sprung up and elbowed him in the ribs: «I love you, Nash. Who cares what you look like. And besides, it’s not like you’re not handsome or whatever in your Barian form».

 

 

Kari didn’t know if she wanted to laugh or cry at that statement. Knowing your brother is into aliens is an information quite difficult to swallow. In the end, she opted for a laugh and snickered even more at Yuma’s sudden blush as he realized he’d said the last sentence out loud.  
She then shook her head, incredulous. She didn’t think Nash could be really that willing to explain Barian physiology to her, even taking into account how much of a normal thing that was in a common learning process.  
«I’m really grateful, Nash. And… I’m sorry about this», Kari said after a while, as her laughter died down. «I’m just worried for you, both of you. For as much as I… despised you», she added, addressing Nash.

 

 

He gave her a shrug: «I deserved it, I’m not _that_ innocent». He then sighed: «Well, that’s that. Do you want to see my Barian form, now?».

 

 

Kari’s eyes widened: «You don’t have to show me. I mean, I think I understood some of the things you said, and I don’t want this to be a bother».

 

 

«It’s okay. Just… don’t freak out».  
Nash got up from the couch and, after exchanging a quick glance with Yuma, Bariarphosed right in front of Akari. The Baria Crystal on his necklace radiated with red light as his whole being resonated with Chaos energy.

 

 

As Nash’s body hardened and became sharper, Kari sucked in a breath, stunned by the transformation taking place in her bland living room.  
The Barian Emperor was smooth and sharp at the same time, his purple coat vivid and contrasting with shimmering gold and crimson accents.  
Looking at him, Kari suddenly realized what Nash really meant by saying having more appendages and formations made the leader. Nash had so many horns raising from the sides of his head she lost count, and his intricate crown made the whole image even more striking and intimidating.  
His blood red gems twinkled under the cold light of artificial lamps, the Barian emblem on his chest underlining Nash’s role as the leader of his people.  
At the center of his face, a ridge ran from his forehead all the way down to his chin, making the lack of mouth and nose even more evident. Without realizing it, Kari found herself wondering how Yuma would kiss him, how the brother she for so long protected would come undone in the arms of that being.  
Truth be told, and Kari couldn’t believe she was actually thinking that, for as much as his alien appearance was scary and foreign, the woman couldn’t deny how beautiful that monster was.  
He was charming, in his own way, so regal and composed as he stood there, his red cape (a carapace as he told?) flowing stiffly behind his body.  
Even his mismatched eyes, one as blue as the ocean and the other a piercing red, were hypnotizing.  
«Holy shit…», were the only words Kari managed to force out of her throat. Yuma found him beautiful, and she wasn’t able to disagree with him.

 

 

Nash’s body shook with laughter: «And you’ve never seen ZeXal before…».

 

 

«Don’t, she’s going to kill me», Yuma hissed at him, throwing a pillow at the Barian. He was so beautiful, even in that twisted form everyone wanted to hate.  
There were days Yuma actively whished for Nash to Bariarmorph, just to cuddle with him and being held by him, but he knew his limits.  
So, he relegated to those few trips to Barian World their exploits. It was actually pretty arousing, seeing Nash unraveling under his hands and glowing with pleasure. His human form was much more durable, to Yuma’s disappointment.  
He liked being able to hold himself back, being the lover he was.

 

 

«Honestly, if a war and multiple aliens coming for your skin didn’t kill you, I doubt I’ll be able to».

 

 

«That’s comforting».

 

 

Nash laughed again, then moved his attention on Kari: «This is it. This is my Barian form. I literally have nothing more than what you’re seeing right know», he said, in a more serious tone.

 

 

«It’s so… weird», Kari commented. Even if she didn’t want to be invading, Kari couldn’t help but get up from the chair she was sitting in and circle around him, examining the bizarre creature standing in her house.  
Fazed by his appearance, Kari shook her head. He was standing there like it was no big deal, and Yuma was actually looking pretty infatuated by him.  
Upon closer inspection, Kari could see his cape was really made of some kind of hard material, even if it seemed soft and light and was incredibly thin. Nash’s skin, two different shades of purple and looking like an armor, was smooth also up close, but he still looked like a statue.  
«Gods, you can pass for a sculpture».

 

 

«You guessed a good defense mechanism we have. You see, even if Barian Emperors are the only ones that are made purely of stone, we’ve developed it anyway. We’re able to stand still for days without faltering, if we need to. Months, if we’re sitting down», Nash told her, recalling those few memories he recovered from his Barian past.

 

 

«So you really don’t require any kind of food to survive», was the rhetorical question she gave.

 

 

Nash shook his head, careful not to hit Kari with his horns: «As Barians, we mostly live off of Chaos energy, common in our world. But obviously, while human we have all the normal needs a human has. Sleep, food, water… you know».

 

 

«It’s so weird when you think about it. I mean, in your true form you don’t need anything but Chaos to survive and are nothing but a crystal within a shell. At the same time, you can morph into fully functioning humans. That’s crazy».

 

 

If he had a mouth, Nash would have smiled. Instead, the area around his eyes wrinkled in amusement: «It’s even crazier if you think about how Vector has wings in his Barian form and Durbe can see perfectly well».

 

 

Taken aback, Kari fluttered her eyes open and close for a few seconds: «Wait, what? Is that why Vector was so clumsy?!», she exclaimed, recalling how awkward and uncoordinated the man moved when he was still a teenager.  
After his betrayal, Kari thought nothing of it, dismissing his behavior as fake and cringy, but if they put it like that…

 

 

«Yep», Yuma nodded, jumping up from the couch to hug Nash’s arm and carefully nuzzle his boyfriend. His forehead was a breath away from the gem on his shoulder, after all. «He didn’t have wings anymore to balance his weight out. Quite a shame he’d gotten used to his human form, it was fun seeing him tripping more than me».  
Then, he took a step back and glanced at Nash: «Morph back, Nash. I can see your Chaos flickering», he told him, his voice tainted by worry.

 

 

«Yeah, you’re right. Stand back Kari».  
A sudden burst of red and purple light, and Nash’s Barian form disappeared to make space for his usual human one. Exhausted, the man fell back on the couch and took long breaths to stabilize himself. A few minutes of silence followed, as Kari took it all in.

 

 

The silence was broken by Yuma, now sitting down beside Nash: «Are you done talking about our sex life?».

 

 

Yeah, she was. That didn’t mean Kari was all out of questions. She had so much curiosity about the Barians, now that she’d seen one with her own eyes, she almost forgot why Yuma and Nash were there in the first place.  
«You’re free», she settled to say. «I didn’t want to intrude, but worrying about my family is something I’m used to by now. I don’t want to lose my brother because of some stupid recklessness».

 

 

«We understand, sis. I understand», Yuma reassured her. He was still embarrassed, but they’ve both been worried for all their lives about their family. Since Kazuma and Mirai’s disappearing in the Astral World. And now that Haru wasn’t with them anymore, it was even worse. «But you have other questions, don’t you?».

 

 

Guilty, Kari had to nod: «I do. But I’m not going to ask. It’s not about you two, it’s just… something that came in my mind».

 

 

«You can ask about the other Barians», Nash said. «Unless is something really personal».

 

 

«I was just… wondering. Why does Durbe wear glasses, if he can perfectly see in his Barian form?».

 

 

«I can see why you’re curious about that».  
His breath finally regularized, Nash accepted Yuma’s hand squeezing his own and stared at Kari: «He can’t see in his human form. Like, at all. He’s almost blind if he takes off his glasses. He doesn’t wear them just for fun, if you had doubts. You see, his damaged sight has something to do with his past life.  
When Durbe was killed alongside his steed, Mach, by his arrogant fellow knights, he put up quite the fight. To counter his way better ability, those knight had a plan. Blind him, then kill him. When he died, Durbe’s eyes were completely blind. At least he still had them, when the knights prey to guilt buried him».  
When Durbe had told him about that, Nash wanted to strangle those knights one by one. Not that he was completely clean of betraying an old friend, in fact he made sure to always remember how Yuma had suffered to avoid hurting him again, but those traitors didn’t have reasons other than lust for power.

 

 

Feeling guilty for the grim look in Nash’s eyes, Kari looked away and apologized: «Damn, I’m… I forgot you all died before becoming Barians. Sorry».  
A moment after, the woman stood up and glanced outside the window. It was late, and menacing clouds hovered above the city: «I think you should go, now. I’ve snooped more than I was supposed to, and it’s going to start raining soon».  
She smiled at her brother, full of hope: «You’re always welcome here, you know. Come hang out with your sister, sometimes. The same thing applies to you, Nash. You’re part of the family now».

 

 

Yuma smiled back, shaking his coat before putting it on: «And you’re welcome to the mansion. You should meet the other Barians, talk with them. They’re nice people, even if Vector can get a little…».  
A little what?  
Yuma had never forgiven him completely for what he’d done, even while knowing his actions were fairly caused by Don Thousand more than his own free will. But, he’d gotten accustomed to his clinginess, and even if bad memories scratched their renewed friendship, Yuma was willing to give him a second chance. The last one.

 

 

«Slimey and annoying I think are the words you’re looking for», Nash suggested him. «Some things never change».

 

 

Kari widened her smile at that, and promised to visit the mansion as soon as her schedule was free enough to do so. «Keep away from trouble, you two».

 

 

«That’s impossible. Trouble always finds a way to hunt us down», Yuma laughed, following Nash outside. «Bye, sis! See you!».

 

 

«Bye, Yuma… and come back», she whispered as they left, Nash’s motorcycle roaring like a dragon on the streets.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there, thanks for reading!
> 
> Don't forget to leave kudos if you liked the story, and maybe a comment if you want!  
> See you in the next one!


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